Based on extensive fieldwork in the community of the Eastern Band
of Cherokee Indians in western North Carolina, this book uses a
semiotic approach to investigate the historic and contemporary role
of the Sequoyan syllabary--the written system for representing the
sounds of the Cherokee language--in Eastern Cherokee life.
The Cherokee syllabary was invented in the 1820s by the respected
Cherokee Sequoyah. The syllabary quickly replaced alternative
writing systems for Cherokee and was reportedly in widespread use
by the mid-nineteenth century. After that, literacy in Cherokee
declined, except in specialized religious contexts. But as Bender
shows, recent interest in cultural revitalization among the
Cherokees has increased the use of the syllabary in education,
publications, and even signage.
Bender also explores the role played by the syllabary within the
ever more important context of tourism. (The Eastern Cherokee Band
hosts millions of visitors each year in the Great Smoky Mountains.)
English is the predominant language used in the Cherokee community,
but Bender shows how the syllabary is used in special and subtle
ways that help to shape a shared cultural and linguistic identity
among the Cherokees.
Signs of Cherokee Culture thus makes an
important contribution to the ethnographic literature on culturally
specific literacies.